Mass. Lottery marks 40 years of operation

E-mail this article

Sending your article

Your article has been sent.

BOSTON—The Massachusetts Lottery is celebrating four decades of operation.

State officials say the Lottery has sold more than $86 billion in tickets, awarded nearly $59 billion in prizes, and returned nearly $19 billion in profit to the state and its cities and towns since its beginning in 1972.

The Lottery plans to host a 40th anniversary celebration at the Statehouse on Wednesday. Participants will include state Treasurer Steven Grossman, whose office oversees the lottery. Others include former state treasurer Robert Crane, who spearheaded creation of the Lottery and served as its first chairman.

The event will include a live drawing of the midday NUMBERS, one of the lottery's oldest games.